• Background Statement

My academic background is in music management, which I studied during my undergraduate years. Currently, I am pursuing a master’s degree in musical theater company. During my four-year undergraduate studies, we covered foundational courses such as vocal training, music theory, and instrumental performance. In terms of collaboration, most of our work involved organizing concerts, analyzing artists’ careers, developing strategies for entertainment companies or theaters, and serving as staff at live events. Typically, written tasks that required written reports or digital submission were completed as individual assignments. However, for more complex projects that required more time and effort, we formed teams, assigned research portions to members, and each wrote their own sections. Finally, we integrated everyone’s work into a complete presentation. As a result, opportunities for in-depth discussions or genuine teamwork on the same project were limited. After graduating from my undergraduate studies, I happened to attend a small workshop where I observed a short theater play rehearsed in separate sessions and then quickly assembled. This experience deeply impressed me, and completely changed my previous understanding of collaboration. I realized that all the collaborations I had participated in were quite superficial, and I needed to learn more efficient and profound methods and experiences of collaboration.Therefore, during my master’s studies, I aim to engage deeply in a real collaborative artistic process. I want to explore different collaborative approaches, identify the one that suits me best and brings me joy, so I can apply it in my future professional practice.

• Line of Inquiry

The Jo Butterworth Didactic Democratic Spectrum shared by the teacher in class, using the collaborative process of dance creation as an example, explains the five ways in which choreographers and dancers can work together in terms of power sharing. From process 1 to process 5, it is a process completely choreographed by the choreographer, where the choreographer only contributes concepts and styles, controls the overall direction, and the rest is mostly creatively choreographed by the dancers. Among these 5 collaboration modes, the ones I am most familiar with and rely on are actually Process 1 and Process 2, which rely entirely on the choreography of the choreographer. Because I don’t consider myself a creative person, I am someone who only knows how to imitate when drawing. Having experienced China’s efficient absorption of knowledge and a score oriented education system, my strongest and most secure skill in the first 20 years of my life was copying directly. I used to wait for others to create everything, and then wait to be “fed” and told how to do it.However, my first few weeks of study at Leeds Conservatoire soon challenged this habit and pushed me to experience a more democratic and collaborative way of creating.The Jo Butterworth Didactic–Democratic Spectrum, introduced by our teacher in class, uses the collaborative process of dance creation to illustrate five different ways choreographers and dancers can share power in collaboration. From Process 1 to Process 5, the spectrum moves from a process fully controlled by the choreographer to one where the choreographer only provides concepts and overall direction, and the dancers create most of the material. Among these five collaboration modes, the ones I am most familiar with and have relied on are Process 1 and Process 2, where the choreographer is fully responsible for the creative work.I have never considered myself a creative person. I am someone who only knows how to imitate when drawing or creating. Having grown up within China’s exam-oriented education system, which values efficiency and memorisation, the skill I was most confident in during the first 20 years of my life was simply copying. I used to wait for others to create everything, and then wait to be “fed” and told what to do. However, my first few weeks of study at Leeds Conservatoire soon challenged this habit and pushed me to experience a more democratic and collaborative way of creating.

• Documentation of Collaborative Practices

The first real challenge to my usual working style came in the Dance Repertoire session in Week 3. During the third week at Leeds Conservatoire, we were asked to form groups of three in our Dance Repertoire class. Our teacher gave us several key words such as “winter,” “snow,” “wearing scarves,” “sled,” and “hot coffee.” Based on these prompts, we were asked to create eight bars of movement inspired by the words within 15 minutes. I was in a group with Sia and Neysa.

We first noted all the keywords in our notebooks and then began arranging the movements, with each keyword representing one eight-count phrase.This step helped me realise how important planning is, even in a short creative task, and how small details can influence the overall flow. At the beginning, Neysa proposed the initial ideas for the movements. We then learned from her and joined in the process, adding our own ideas and correcting each other’s movements when they didn’t meet the teacher’s expectations. Our choreography was not purely dance-based; instead, it focused on physical actions that could clearly represent the given scenes. I also noticed that finding clear ways to express ideas made me think more carefully about how movement communicates meaning to an audience.When some movements looked too dance-like and failed to convey meaning, we discussed and made adjustments together.

One advantage of group collaboration is that creators can receive immediate feedback from others, helping them to see their work more objectively. Every time we finished one phrase, we added it to the sequence and practised from the beginning with music. Through this repetition, I learned that collaboration requires patience and constant adjustment, and that everyone’s input matters in shaping the final piece.When the time was up, each group presented their piece to the class. After all groups had performed, the teacher rearranged everyone across the rehearsal space so that members of the same group stood symmetrically in different corners. Members from different groups were spread throughout the room. When the music started, all students began moving at once, creating the image of a winter day filled with everyday activities. Although each group performed different movements, the shared theme of “winter” made the scene coherent and full of life.

Because the groups were positioned symmetrically in space, the presentation created not only an aesthetic sense of balance but also a sense of connection between distant performers. The audience could perceive that even though the performers were apart, their movements were related—as if they were friends or family members in the same story. This final presentation achieved both the visual effect of an ensemble and a stronger sense of storytelling on stage.

• Further Research

According to Jo Butterworth’s Didactic–Democratic Spectrum, this group task can be identified as Process 4: Facilitator–Creator. In this setting, our teacher acted as the facilitator, providing creative stimulus through a list of key words such as “winter,” “snow,” and “hot coffee.” Within our small group, each member took an active role in developing, testing, and refining the movement material.

Through this collaboration, I gained three key insights. First, although I was initially afraid of creating, starting and completing this project gave me an unprecedented sense of fulfilment and the courage to try again in the future. It also made me understand that creativity is not just about talent, but about being willing to participate and experiment.This brief collaborative experience, with feedback received in such a short time, was extremely positive. I could immediately feel the results of our efforts and quickly see a complete and interesting outcome. Creating through collaboration also reduced my fear and lack of confidence in working alone, and it became a very good way for me to begin exploring creativity.

Second, I was amazed by the final presentation. The facilitator-based approach was completely new to me, and I found it remarkably smart and efficient. Seeing how multiple perspectives combined to create a richer performance made me appreciate the value of democratic collaboration even more.Creating a scene with such rich visual storytelling would have been very time-consuming and labour-intensive if left solely to the choreographer. When multiple groups of performers create their own movement, efficiency improves significantly. Furthermore, allowing actors to choreograph everyday-life situations lowers the skill barrier and encourages authentic expression. Different performers interpret the same theme in unique ways, creating movement that matches their own habits and abilities. I realised that allowing individuality in collaboration does not weaken the group work; instead, it strengthens it and makes the performance more authentic.Those with stronger dance skills can even add more complex techniques, showcasing everyone’s individual strengths.

Third, I have seen some original large-scale musical theatre productions in China, and in several of them, the ensemble dance sections were rather weak. The choreography sometimes seemed to exist only for the sake of including a dance, appearing disconnected from the plot and visually thin. I suspect that production teams either did not prioritise choreography enough or lacked choreographers experienced in musical theatre.Or it is also possible that they do not have enough funds to support the complex and magnificent dances in the play. However, if a Process 4–type collaborative approach had been used, the process would have been simpler and likely more effective. Since most performers are professionally trained, giving them the opportunity to co-create story-driven movement could make the performance richer and more engaging.

• Conclusion

This project taught me that collaboration can open many new creative possibilities. It helped me understand that ideas can come from anyone in the group, and that sharing and listening are just as important as performing. This experience encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and become more active and confident when creating new material. I now realise that collaboration is not only a working method, but also a way of learning from others and growing together.

In the future, my goal is to create more unique and original works. I want to keep improving my collaborative skills so that I can work more smoothly and confidently in creative projects. By developing a deeper understanding of different collaborative methods, I also hope to bring fresh ideas and approaches to my future colleagues or students. Learning to balance my own ideas with others’ will be an important step for me as both a performer and a future theatre professional. I believe that continuing to practise open and democratic collaboration will help me grow as an artist and allow me to contribute more meaningfully to any creative team I work with.Through this project, I also realised that collaboration is a way to learn not only from others’ skills but also from their thinking process. Watching my classmates try different ideas gave me inspiration and helped me see things from a new perspective. I understood that being open to others’ suggestions can improve my own work, and sometimes ideas I would never think of alone become useful in the final performance.

Moreover, I found that collaboration teaches patience and flexibility. Not every idea works immediately, and it is normal to try, fail, and try again. I learned to accept different opinions and adjust my movements or concepts accordingly. This experience made me more confident and willing to participate actively in group projects.

In the future, I want to continue exploring different collaborative methods in musical theatre. I hope to create an environment where everyone can contribute freely, and where all performers feel their ideas are valued. By practicing democratic collaboration, I believe I can develop both as a performer and as a professional in theatre, bringing richer and more meaningful work to the stage.